Experts tell ABC Action News that people living in low-risk flood zones might have a false sense of security about flooding. That complacency can leave families in dire financial straits.
On a personal note, during my nearly 20-year career as a reporter, I’ve covered my fair share of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and blizzards. The blizzard events, of course, were not in Florida.
But, one environmental disaster always worried me the most: severe floods. Sometimes, a storm surge will destroy everything, making a home or even entire communities unrecognizable.
For some flooding events I have covered, the disaster is a slow death. The water crawls in, rising like a thief at night, taking everything you love, then disappears, leaving everything in ruin.
There is something eerie and unnatural when you first walk into a flooded home after the water is long gone. All of your items are just sitting there right where you left them. Mattresses are waterlogged, furniture destroyed, couches soaked.